Growing up Lycée: A basketball story
Introduction
History matters, memories matter, experiences are essential and the combination of all describes the fullness of life. As a wise man once told me: "You can tell the story of a country by studying the evolution of its music".
The magic of life often lies in the imperceptible manner in which the mosaic of our experiences are intertwined to tell our story; at school I was mesmerized by the mention of "contemporary". Sometimes studying a character in history stands as a single chapter, the study of an era as a point in time and a singular event as a crossroad in life "timestream"...and yet, when they are contemporaries, it suddenly fits together, art, fashion, trends, movement, etc...they become interconnected, and this is valid whether it is revealed in history books or from grandpa's mouth at a dinner table.
To seize the moment that reveals the interconnection of a part of my life is the purpose of this story; semi-autobiographical, it mainly consists of concrete souvenirs, vague memories, childish perceptions, second hand accounts and imaginative reenactments. As I take the liberty to relive what is rapidly becoming a footnote in my existence, I grant full freedom to my fellow actors to correct, contribute and add to the accounts they will recognize themselves in.
This is the story about a school, some may say a High School like many others, but I tend to see things differently. It was a special school. This is the story of a school and its Basketball team; a love story that emerged from the backdrop of war and cultural revolution to align itself with the many sidesteps that wars and revolution tend to create.
From 1990 to 1998, Basketball at Lycée Guebre-Mariam in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia became a microcosm of the changes that affected the country at large, the African Continent, the fall of communism and a cultural phenomenon called NBA Basketball. Seen through the naïve eyes of a 10 year old, it culminates to the perception of a young adult via the coming of age that befits the teenage years.
Broken out in episodes, join me as we grow up Lycée, my Basketball story from 1990-1998.
History matters, memories matter, experiences are essential and the combination of all describes the fullness of life. As a wise man once told me: "You can tell the story of a country by studying the evolution of its music".
The magic of life often lies in the imperceptible manner in which the mosaic of our experiences are intertwined to tell our story; at school I was mesmerized by the mention of "contemporary". Sometimes studying a character in history stands as a single chapter, the study of an era as a point in time and a singular event as a crossroad in life "timestream"...and yet, when they are contemporaries, it suddenly fits together, art, fashion, trends, movement, etc...they become interconnected, and this is valid whether it is revealed in history books or from grandpa's mouth at a dinner table.
To seize the moment that reveals the interconnection of a part of my life is the purpose of this story; semi-autobiographical, it mainly consists of concrete souvenirs, vague memories, childish perceptions, second hand accounts and imaginative reenactments. As I take the liberty to relive what is rapidly becoming a footnote in my existence, I grant full freedom to my fellow actors to correct, contribute and add to the accounts they will recognize themselves in.
This is the story about a school, some may say a High School like many others, but I tend to see things differently. It was a special school. This is the story of a school and its Basketball team; a love story that emerged from the backdrop of war and cultural revolution to align itself with the many sidesteps that wars and revolution tend to create.
From 1990 to 1998, Basketball at Lycée Guebre-Mariam in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia became a microcosm of the changes that affected the country at large, the African Continent, the fall of communism and a cultural phenomenon called NBA Basketball. Seen through the naïve eyes of a 10 year old, it culminates to the perception of a young adult via the coming of age that befits the teenage years.
Broken out in episodes, join me as we grow up Lycée, my Basketball story from 1990-1998.
